


Shift in Perception

by welcometothisday



Series: Dancing Around the Subject [2]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Musical References, Neurodivergent Reader, Pick a Gender for Ryder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:47:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21581779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/welcometothisday/pseuds/welcometothisday
Summary: Headcanons about what it would be like to be a neurodivergent Ryder Twin and dealing with the Angara.Primarily focusing on the one that was in a coma.
Relationships: Evfra de Tershaav/Original Character(s), Evfra de Tershaav/Reader
Series: Dancing Around the Subject [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556455
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Shift in Perception

**Author's Note:**

> I am neurodivergent, and some of the hardest things I've had to deal with is the concept of being hugged or touched a lot.
> 
> I'm sensitive to a lot of different types of clothing, and the best way for me to describe certain textures is that some feel more real than others. Often, stuff like velvet or fleece feels "slimy" to me. I immediately want to drop it and pretend the encounter never happened.
> 
> Sometimes I also have problems with social cues, sarcasm, etc.
> 
> So, as someone who does have these sensitivity issues, after hearing about the Angara before playing anything, I felt afraid, very afraid. Hugging and physical affection is fairly confusing and something I'm just not comfortable with. Jaal is amazing, but I'm not sure I could ever survive him or his people if we ever encountered.
> 
> This was part of my take on that kind of thing.

A lot of things during the plythroughs of Andromeda Mass Effect made me feel a little wary. The sad thing is, I'm most terrified of the Angara because I'm not sure I'd survive five minutes there. They're really nice, but a lot of character interactions made me want to run away.

I'm sorry Jaal.

So, here are some headcanons about what it might be like to be neurodivergent in Mass Effect Andromeda based on my own personal experiences.

  * Jaal finds out that their twin is unconscious/in a coma, and is uncomfortable talking about it because being sick or injured isn't something to talk about.
  * He hears they are neurodivergent (pick ADD, Autism, etc)
  * He thinks it's some kind of horrible disease because it sounds like the human gets "sick" around people.
  * Who doesn't like hugging?!
  * Someone (probably Liam) has to convince him otherwise, saying that the twin is just a lot more sensitive to certain stimuli than others.
  * With Ryder maybe it's sound, touch, etc.
  * Socialization can either be overwhelming, or difficult in general. It's also why adjusting to change can be hard.
  * Ryder is very repetitive and has little actions that may confuse some.
  * Liam is nice to talk to, and he's a really good listener.
  * He's most likely to pick up on stress and ask what Ryder might need.
  * "What's wrong with your clothes?"
  * "They're too restricting."
  * The other extraterrestrials are a bit confused, but not as much as Jaal or other Angara.
  * Drack thinks it's a bit funny at first that humans, squishy species they are, can be a lot more sensitive or aware of things most of their species cannot.
  * The Krogan realizes that means they might always be on edge, or struggle through things most find simple. How are humans like this alive?
  * "So, the human can literally walk into walls because they can't sense where their body is?"
  * "You know how you get dizzy when Ryder drives and after your body has a hard time figuring which way is up and which way is down? Yeah, it's kind of like that."
  * "Shit."
  * Still, Drack has been there, and done that. He knows something of what it's like.
  * The grandpa knows he can help.
  * Cora would probably get how someone could have hyper-fixation on things, and want to know what the sibling(s) like, compare fixations, and maybe help find some new ones.
  * "Oh my gosh this is adorable!"
  * "It's not adorable! They're Asari warriors! Hunters!"
  * "They're adorable!"
  * Peebee likes having fun and being a bit wild.
  * Depending on what kind of neurodivergent Ryder is, they'll either be completely on board, or not at all.
  * Peebee has to learn what comfort zones are.
  * Some facial expressions are easier to read than others, and Ryder already had some problems trying to read their own species.
  * Other extraterrestrials like the Turians or Krogan? That's a little harder.
  * Ryder might like being around Peebee because she's more expressive and easier to figure out.
  * Vetra finds out about some of Ryder's problems, like need to stimulate senses.
  * She might get them things to cope like a Rubik's cube or a fidget spinner.
  * Everyone's surprised that said objects don't distract you, and that you're attentive to what needs to be done or said.
  * "How are you looking at the map and doing, that?!"
  * "I can't focus because I have to do something to focus. This helps."
  * "That makes no sense."
  * If Ryder uses sign language, whether regularly or sparingly, Vetra will want to know how to do it.
  * Having only three fingers might be a bit problematic though.
  * Kallo will ask them a lot, and I mean a LOT, of questions about what being neurodivergent is like and how it may have impacted their life.
  * If Ryder doesn't like touching or being touched, Kallo totally gets that.
  * "Aren't you upset?"
  * "Sometimes, touching can hurt or it's just really stressful. I know it doesn't make sense..."
  * "Don't worry, I don't like being touched too much either."
  * Kallo is also really good at explaining things so that it's all factual. 
  * He reluctantly lets Gil make some modifications to help them.
  * Jaal's nervous around Ryder until he realizes he's not the only one confused by metaphors and euphemisms anymore.
  * "Time to flush out the bad guys."
  * "Flush?"
  * "I think they mean the bad guys belong in a toilet, and need to be flushed out because they're like poop."
  * "Ah."
  * "That's, that's not it at all."
  * He also really wants some of the stuff Vetra got them, like a Rubik's cube so that he could take it apart and put it back together again.
  * The Ryder twin might feel the same about a lot of his stuff.
  * The two share objects, seeing what does what.
  * Ryder likes his cape.
  * "It's a cape. You're like a superhero!"
  * "It's called a rofjin."
  * "I want to be a superhero too!"
  * He's delighted to make them one.
  * Ryder has a favorite color, and almost everything they have is in that color.
  * Gil might find Ryder wandering around a lot, the twin likely overwhelmed by socialization.
  * It's not that they hate people, it's just they need a break every once in a while, and there's barely anybody where Gil works.
  * He sets up a small area for them to just rest.
  * He also might give Ryder more things to fidget with, and purposely things that might get broken so that they can experiment more.
  * Gil winds down on his brilliant poker face so the twin can better understand him.
  * Finally, Ryder would _HAVE_ to interact with the Angara at some point.
  * It's terrifying because these are really nice people, but they're also really intense.
  * They're so open with their emotions, which can be a relief, but they're also very affectionate.
  * It's not that Ryder doesn't like affection, but trying to keep up with it all can be tiring.
  * Evfra is extremely intimidating, and he doesn't quite understand so he might be a bit of a jerk at first.
  * "Why doesn't this one look me in the eye? Have they something to hide?"
  * "...Jaal, save me."
  * Jaal has to explain and Evfra subtlety starts winding down on some of his behaviors. 
  * Jaal's family isn't that much different, even if they are nicer at first.
  * "Do you have a favorite food?"
  * "Mother!"
  * Ryder does have some, and they really, really love it. It's one of their fixations.
  * Sahuna approves.
  * Jaal's family might think it's brave for Ryder to admit they have problems.
  * For Ryder, it's just part of who they are.
  * The Moshae finds the human intriguing, and wants to know more.
  * "How did you get this to work?"
  * *Shrugs* "Some things just clicked right."
  * Sometimes, Ryder just does something that feels right, and unfortunately they can't explain how they did it.
  * The Moshae also understands how change might be more overwhelming for them since she had moved around all her life.
  * The human is different, even amongst their own kind, but in a good way.
  * Akksul already has a hard time trying to accept humans, so he might misunderstand why the human seems so distant, more so than the others.
  * That one must be up to something.
  * "What are they drawing?"
  * "You." They think you're pretty. I can't fathom how."
  * The human can be very friendly when they can find a way to be.
  * Damn it, the creature truly was evil because he was starting to like them.
  * Ryder might slowly, very slowly, become more comfortable and even let some young ones touch their hair or other features.
  * Eventually they may work their way to adults. Kids can be a lot less intimidating.
  * They aren't sure how to feel about what the skin of certain aliens feel like.
  * "Drakmor is like a crab."
  * "Well he is crabby."
  * One day, twin might even be willing to hug.
  * Jaal is really happy about the twin being able to hug him, even if they can't do it often.
  * Ryder is wary of Reyes, he's too tricky.
  * Jaal approves.
  * Reyes tries flirting, it is ineffective, no matter how obvious he may try to be.
  * "Ryder, you can ride me, anytime."
  * "Huh?"
  * He doesn't know it, but while it took a bit to pick up on, Ryder knows what he's doing.
  * Believe it or not, neurodivergents aren't stupid, they just have problems communicating sometimes.
  * Ryder is good at playing board games, like chess.
  * Reyes tries to teach Ryder how to better get along with people through manipulation so that they have the upper hand instead of feeling left out.
  * Jaal doesn't approve.
  * Whenever Ryder goes to Kadara, Reyes secretly has a security detail on them because he's worried they're going to get eaten alive.
  * Depending on any fixations, the crew might be surprised at how attentive Ryder is to detail.
  * Avela might learn Ryder can find really unusual things.
  * Apparently things are never where they're supposed to be and Ryder knows that.
  * She just can't figure out how they do it without some sort of tech.
  * Ryder can help a lot around the ship.
  * The crew gets worried sometimes.
  * "How did you get up there?"
  * "I dunno, I climbed?"
  * "You can barely walk, how can you climb?!"
  * *Shrugs*
  * Somehow, Ryder is terrible at interacting in real life, but when it comes to emergencies they're the most proficient.
  * It's like they can separate their pathos from their logos for a brief amount of time.
  * Really, their hyper fixations focus on the moment with extreme intensity.
  * "So they have problems with change, but they can't blast Kett while hanging upside down?"
  * "Different kinds of change affects different kinds of people. This also might be a little familiar to them."
  * Turns out being neurodivergent in space is kind of cool.



BONUS:

The Archon is pissed off because electricity in Ryder's brain shortcircuits a lot of his equipment when he tries to control them.

**Author's Note:**

> The bonus is actually based off some real life stuff for me personally.
> 
> I've had EEGs and while they seem normal for the most part, how electricity/signals is conducted is a little bit differently than most. Scientists also recently found a more accurate way to detect autism based on EEGs from early ages. 
> 
> I also can't walk straight, but for some reason I'm pretty decent with ice skating. The same goes with me and adjusting to change, primarily social ones. No one knows how or why.
> 
> If there's any neurodivergent readers out there, let me know in the comments what some other obstacles might be. Being 
> 
> Neurodivergent is a spectrum after all, so I don't experience the same things others might.
> 
> EDIT 
> 
> 12/5/2019 - Hey everybody, a group and I have a research project for a few classes that involves a survey. We need a larger sample size. It's not an official survey, just experimental for really, really inexperienced college students. It takes on average (so far), 3 minutes pending how you answer:
> 
> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7C3Z68K


End file.
